Shrief Amira I, Elshenawy Dina S, Elsukary Ahmed E, Elekhtiar Sally A, Yahia Ola A
Department of Medical Histology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
Department of Medical Histology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Horus University, New Damietta City, Egypt.
J Mol Histol. 2025 Feb 6;56(2):81. doi: 10.1007/s10735-025-10361-2.
Alzheimer disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition. Thymoquinone (TQ) is a natural compound that possesses beneficial biological effects on the brain. The present study evaluates the protective impact of TQ on the cerebellum in rats with AlCl3-induced Alzheimer's disease. Four groups were utilized. Control: 20 rats that were subdivided into two subgroups. Ia: received distilled water for 4 weeks. Ib: received corn oil via oral gavage (1 ml/kg daily) for 4 weeks. TQ group: 10 rats received TQ in corn oil via oral gavage (20 mg/kg daily) for 4 weeks. AD group:10 rats received AlCl3 in distilled water via oral gavage (300 mg/kg daily) for 4 weeks. AD & TQ group: 10 rats received both AlCl3 & TQ for 4 weeks. The grip period in the rotarod test decreased, escape latency in first three days and the entry latency period to the quadrant with the removed escape platform in the Morris water maze test increased in AD group, but when TQ was administered concurrently, there was a noteworthy improvement. Meanwhile, when compared to AD group, the addition of TQ showed a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO), associated with a significant increase (P < 0.05) in reduced glutathione (GSH) level. Furthermore, AD & TQ group exhibited substantial preservation of the cerebellum's histological structure, the Purkinje cells number and transverse diameter showed a high significant increase (P < 0.001) and a significant increase (P < 0.05), respectively in comparison to the AD group. Using TQ showed improvement in behavioral tests, biochemical and histological findings. Thus, TQ might have therapeutic effects on Alzheimer's disease.
阿尔茨海默病（AD）是一种神经退行性疾病。百里醌（TQ）是一种对大脑具有有益生物学效应的天然化合物。本研究评估了TQ对氯化铝诱导的阿尔茨海默病大鼠小脑的保护作用。实验使用了四组大鼠。对照组：20只大鼠分为两个亚组。Ia组：连续4周给予蒸馏水。Ib组：连续4周经口灌胃给予玉米油（每日1毫升/千克）。TQ组：10只大鼠经口灌胃给予玉米油中的TQ（每日20毫克/千克），持续4周。AD组：10只大鼠经口灌胃给予蒸馏水中的氯化铝（每日300毫克/千克），持续4周。AD & TQ组：10只大鼠同时给予氯化铝和TQ，持续4周。AD组在转棒试验中的抓握时间减少，在莫里斯水迷宫试验中前三天的逃避潜伏期以及进入移除逃避平台象限的潜伏期增加，但同时给予TQ时，有显著改善。同时，与AD组相比，添加TQ后丙二醛（MDA）和一氧化氮（NO）水平显著降低（P < 0.05），还原型谷胱甘肽（GSH）水平显著升高（P < 0.05）。此外，AD & TQ组小脑的组织结构得到了显著保留，与AD组相比，浦肯野细胞数量和横径分别显著增加（P < 0.001）和显著增加（P < 0.05）。使用TQ可改善行为测试、生化和组织学结果。因此，TQ可能对阿尔茨海默病具有治疗作用。
